GET THE BARBEL BUG IN 2016

IF you want one challenge beyond your usual carp fishing in 2016, make it to catch your first barbel.

This year Nash have teamed up with top coach and all-rounder Des Taylor to help more people than ever enjoy learning to catch barbel, offering a £50 bait bundle to everyone booking a guiding day with Des.

‘Most of the barbel tuition I do is on the Middle Severn, and it’s all about boilies and pellets,’ explained Des. ‘They are far most efficient tactic, and from last year’s catches I know the TG Active and the Pellet Blends are a deadly combination.

‘Everyone who comes with me this year gets a £50 Nashbait bucket that contains TG Active Boilies, Mega Pellet Mix, Slicker Hemp, a Fish Oil Booster plus a hat,’ explained Des, who last year helped his customers net over FOUR HUNDRED barbel on tuition days.

‘I supply all the bait we use on the day, the bucket is intended for people to take away and gives them the tools to repeat what they have learned and go and catch more barbel independently on future trips,’ he said.

Targeting exclusive stretches not normally available to the public, Des averages 6-10 barbel for most customers on his guided days, and is insistent that catching barbel is a change of direction most carp anglers absolutely love.

‘You can catch them on carp gear, they love boilies, and since the late 1980s when I applied my limited carp knowledge into barbel fishing I’ve never looked back,’ revealed Des. ‘An 8 lb barbel fights like a 20 lb carp, the tactics are very familiar and comfortable to anyone who catches carp but best of all people are astounded how little gear you need - plus you can go for three or four hours and have the equivalent of a day’s fishing rather than pitching up for days on end.’

Passionate about tuition Des is insistent that guided trips are all about the customer: ‘To be a good guide you have to be at a stage when you are prepare to help people catch fish even if you would love to catch them yourself. I never fish myself, they are doing all the fishing. I sit, talk, entertain and help.

‘When you share some of the fun of fishing back as a guide you gain something that you can’t find from just fishing for yourself, like something as basic as taking dads and lads fishing together it really is rewarding.’